Death toll from the deadly coal mine blast in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province has risen to 104, China News Service reported Monday.

Location of the four miners still trapped in the shaft has been tentatively determined to be near the center of the blast, China's central television (CCTV) reported, citing Zhu Haizhou, the newly-appointed head of the coal mine. So far 103 bodies have been hauled to the ground from the mine.

Although CCTV said the explosion resulted from a massive gas buildup, the official cause of the explosion was not available last night, China Daily reported Monday.

According to a spokesperson for the mining holding group, the mine's monitoring room received alerts of a sudden, dramatic rise in underground gas levels at 1:37 AM on Saturday, 53 minutes prior to the tragedy.

The monitoring room immediately cut off underground power and notified all personnel to evacuate, said Zhang Jinguang, publicity chief of the Hegang subsidiary.

The blast happened at around 2:30 AM Saturday at the Xinxing Coal Mine under the state-owned Heilongjiang Longmei Mining Holding Group's subsidiary in Hegang City. A total of 528 miners were working underground when the blast happened.

Zhang Zhenlong, assistant chief engineer of the subsidiary in Hegang City, went into the shaft hours after the accident. Zhang noted that the blast didn't result in much damage to the laneways, but it crippled the ventilation system and communication facilities and the rescue work in the past a few hours was to repair the ventilation system.

"Fresh air from the outside could add more chances for survival of the trapped miners."

Memory of survivors 

Lying in the hospital affiliated to the Hegang Coal Mine Group, 54-year-old Yuan Shusheng still trembled in fear.

"I went into the lift immediately after the monitor underground warned of excessive gas, but before I reached the exit, shock wave from the blast lashed me out and I hence fainted until the rescuers pulled me out," he recalled.

Another miner Fu Maofeng said he just went out of the lift when the accident occurred. Shock wave pushed him down and pebbles were poured upon him like hailstones.

Qu Zhongliang was the one who suffered most serious injuries. His face and hands were burnt and trachea was seriously injured. While doctors cleaned his wounds, he coughed out blood.

"Someone from the hospital called me Saturday morning and I got to know that my husband was injured," said Huang Guizhen, Qu's wife.

"Looking at his blood-covered face, I didn't recognize him at first sight." When doctors told her about her husband's condition, Huang wailed.

The Xinxing Coal Mine, located over 400 km east of the provincial capital of Harbin, has an approved annual production capacity of 1.45 million tonnes.

The blast was so severe that according to a footage of the China Central Television, windows of the buildings within 20 meters of the site were all shattered.

Miners said that the monitoring equipment worked well when the accident happened and that they had received regular emergency trainings.

"I have been working in the mine for 33 years and this is the first time that I experience a blast," said 50-year-old Wang Chaojun.

"In recent years our working condition improved, but gas is dangerous, so dangerous," he said.

An editorial carried by the Beijing Youth Daily questioned why winters always see major deadly mine accidents.

In 2004, a blast in Xinmi of Henan killed 148.

Also in 2004, one in Tongchuan of Shaanxi killed 166.

In 2005, an explosion in Sunjiawan of Liaoning killed 214.

Earlier this year, one in Gujiao of Shanxi killed 77.

These accidents all happened between October and February.

"Lured by the lucrative winter coal market, many industries made production beyond their capacities," the editorial said.

(CRIENGLISH.com/Xinhua November 23, 2009)